Arab Christians are people who are ethnically Arab or
culturally and linguistically Arabized and who follow the religion
of Christianity.

The majority of Christian Arabs live in the Middle East where,
although Islam is
undoubtedly the preponderant religion, significant religious minorities exist in a number
of countries. The largest number of Arab Christians, whether in real numbers or in
proportion to a country's population, are to be found in Egypt, Israel (as well as the Palestinian territories), Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Emmigrant Arab communities throughout the Americas,
especially among the Arab populations of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and the USA, are overwhelmingly
Christian. In Brazil alone, Arabs number over 12 million and are mostly Christian.

The percentage of Arab Americans who are Muslim has increased
in recent years, because most new Arab immigrants tend to be Muslim; this stands in
contrast to the first wave of Arab immigration to the United States during the late 19th
and early 20th centuries, during which immigrants were almost all Christians. Most
Maronite Catholics tend to be of Lebanese or Syrian extraction; those Christians of
Palestinian background are often Eastern Orthodox. A small number are Protestants, either
having joined a Protestant denomination after immigrating to the U.S. or being from a
family that converted to Protestantism while still living in the Middle East (European and
American Protestant missionaries were fairly commonplace in the Levant in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries).

There are substantial numbers of American Jews originating from the
Arab World, notably of Mizrahi Jewish extraction. Most
migrated from their respective countries of origin to the United States during the late
20th century. The number of Arab Jewish-Americans is difficult to determine. Overlaping
identification as Jewish Americans (along with other American Jews of various backgrounds)
and Arab Americans (along with other American Arabs of various religious traditions)
seldom occurs for political reasons.

California has a large immigrant community and
is diversified. In addition to significant percentages of Egyptians, Assyrians, and
Palestinians, 8.1% listed themselves as Other -- mainly due to substantial
numbers of Yemeni farm workers in the Bakersfield area. Like the Metropolitan New
York-Northern New Jersey area, the Los Angeles-Southern California Arab community is not
only growing rapidly but also is becoming a major political and cultural center.

TABLE 1: ARAB
POPULATION IN CALIFORNIA

STATE

1980
CENSUS

1990
CENSUS

U.S.
RANK

ARAB
POPULATION GROWTH 1980-1990

%
INCREASE

ESTIMATED
POPULATION

CA

100,972

160,660

1st

59,688

59.1

560,000

Source: ZOGBY GROUP, 1995

TABLE 2:
SAMPLE ANNUAL IMMIGRATION FROM ARAB COUNTRIES (1997)

TOTAL

PERSIAN GULF

MAGHREB

EGYPT

IRAQ

LEBANON

SYRIA

JORDAN

5,244

1,186

581

777

733

782

537

648

Source: CALIFORNIA
IMMIGRANTS ADMITTED BY COUNTRY OF BIRTH AND STATE OF RESIDENCE, INS 1997

TABLE 3: PERCENT OF
POPULATION BY ARAB ANCESTRY / IDENTIFACTION

ARAB

EGYPTIAN

IRAQI

JORDANIAN

LEBANESE

PALESTINIAN

SYRIAN

OTHER

17%

12%

4%

4%

31%

7%

9%

16%

Source: 1990 CENSUS

ARAB IMMIGRATION
(1987-1993)
# ENTERING/RESIDING IN STATE

RANK - ARAB
IMMIGRATION TO USA

STATE

NEW ARAB RESIDENTS

1st

CA

36,483

*A Note on Methodology

The above profile of Arab American demographics was compiled by the Zogby
Group in Utica, N.Y. (mail@zogby.com)
and is based on data from the ancestry question in the U.S. Census (1990), the Immigration
and Naturalization Service, and best on-the-ground estimates compiled after years of
visiting, working in, interviewing leaders in, and observations of over 100 Arab American
communities.

The significant discrepancy between community estimates and census figures
relates to several factors. Census data on the Arab population are derived from a question
on ancestry asked only of a sample of the total population, a methodology that negatively
impacts smaller groups. The undercount is also higher in urban areas where many clusters
of Arab Americans reside, and among immigrants who are more distrustful of government
surveys and/or have a language barrier. Some persons of Arab descent are hesitant to
identify their ethnicity due to perceived negative stereotypes and prejudice. Finally, the
multiple ancestries common among 4th and 5th generation Arab Americans also contribute to
the non-response to this question that only tabulates up to two ancestry groups per
respondent.

The incorporated cities of Los Angeles
County with the largest number of Arab-speakers are the City of Los Angeles, Glendale,
Burbank, Downey, Glendora and Torrance, according to Table #1 below. Within the City
of Los Angeles, the communities with the largest number of Arab-speakers are shown
in Table #2.

TABLE #1

Language Spoken At Home
by City& Unincorporated Communities
Persons 5 years and over
Los Angeles County, 2000 Census

The Arab World News (based in
Anaheim, CA) Internet news link has a map
of "Little Arabia" in Orange County, located along the Brookhurst Street
corredor in Anaheim and Garden Grove, with a list of Arab businesses in this area.

A
2003 report by the Arab American Institute Foundation (.pdf) stated that the State of
California has the largest concentration of Arab ancestry population in the USA (an
estimated 715,000 in 2000), with 23% of the state's Arab population residing in Los
Angeles County, 12% in Orange County, 12% in San Diego County, 6% in Santa Clara County
(San Francisco Bay Area), and 4% in San Bernardino County (2000 Census data). The
Southern California Arab community in Los Angeles and Orange counties constitutes the
largest concentration in the State (35%), followed by San Diego County (12%).